Injuries are one of the most unfortunate parts of professional sports. Not only are they annoying to deal with, but bad breaks or sprains can completely derail a player’s career. Avoiding such ailments is hard in today’s NBA, but there are a few players who have managed to do it.
This article will take a look at Jaylen Brown’s injury history and explain how the Celtics star has kept relatively healthy throughout his short career.
Quick Navigation
Pushing Through
For one reason or another, most recent stars suffered major injuries that lasted for the majority of an entire season. Players like Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jamal Murray, and Kawhi Leonard all sat out for significant lengths of time due to a serious problem that would not go away.
While plenty of players have bounced back from such issues, not getting on top of it can prematurely end an athlete’s career. In fact, there have been quite a few NBA players who never properly bounced back after suffering an injury early on in their career.
Luckily for Jaylen Brown, he was able to avoid that fate. In fact, unlike so many of his peers, he’s been able to play, jump, and defend at a high level without prolonged stress to his body.
A Tough Start
Brown is one of the toughest players in the league. Not just from an injury standpoint, but from the lens of someone who’s not afraid to get into the paint. He jumps high, falls hard, and doesn’t shy away from contact. Despite that, he’s never missed a significant number of games.
He came into the league as a high draft pick and picked up the NBA speed right away. Not only did he succeed as a rookie (netting nearly 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals a game) but he played in 78 games. That’s a large workload for anyone in their first season.
He followed that up with strong second and third year campaigns where he played 70 and 74 games respectively. He sat out a few games here and there for small issues or rest reasons, but he never had to take a long rest. Unfortunately, that didn’t continue.
Taking a Break
Brown’s toughness carried him early on in his career, but his ability to stay ahead of injury eventually ran out during the 2019 season. He didn’t suffer any huge issues, but he did only play 57 games due to many smaller ones.
By that time, Brown was clearly an asset the Celtics wanted to protect. Rather than letting him play through pain or any serious problems, they simply let him sit on the bench for a game here and there.
One Major Issue
That strategy led to him playing less, but such breaks are an important part of why he’s been able to keep going without any big problems. In fact, the only time he suffered a larger issue was when he hurt his wrist at the end of the 2020 season.
Brown, on the tail end of his best season, hurt his wrist with only four games left in the year. He sat out, and eventually had to have surgery on a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist. However, he healed up during the off season and bounced back better than ever.
Final Words
At a certain point, injuries come down to luck. Sometimes players go their entire career without being sidelined, and sometimes athletes get hurt during their first year in the league. Even so, some players take care of their body to cut down on that risk. Jaylen Brown is one such player.
He’s a tough individual with a lot of power, but he knows when to sit as well. That has paid off so far and, if his recent success is any indicator, it will continue to in the coming years.
Comments